Tag Archives: catching fire

A lot of film adaptations of books can be acutely disappointing (don’t even talk to me about Eragon), but it’s summer, so I wanted to take a more positive approach. Here are my top five favourite movies based on books:

Everything is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer) This movie had to make the top of my list because – strangely – I preferred the film to the book. I think it was a story better told with music and colours and actors than in the words of Foer. Don’t get me wrong: he’s a great writer, but I felt like the story needed more.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (J R R Tolkein) I haven’t met many book lovers who didn’t also have a deep respect for these movies. Of course they aren’t flawless, but I’d say the fact that they are made by and for LoTR enthusiasts make them special.

The Help (Kathryn Stockett) I love this film (and book) so much. I loved the acting choices in spite of minor aesthetic inaccuracies, and the sensitive balance of humour and heart-break is beyond perfection.

The Prince Of Egypt (story of Moses – the Bible) I wasn’t sure if I could count this as a ‘book-to-film adaptation’, which explains the reason for such a fantastic film being so low on this list. The mind-shatteringly awesome grandeur of the animation, story-telling and scripting brings the ancient story to life (and that’s without mentioning the beautiful Hans Zimmer/Stephen Schwarz soundtrack)

Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins) I think most of us can agree that this film surpassed ‘The Hunger Games’ by far – a really satisfying adaptation that was faithful to – and yet not limited by – the book.

What are your favourite book/movie adaptations?

If you’ve seen any of the films mentioned, let me know what you thought of them!

These are exciting times for book-y people with book-to-movie adaptations popping up left, right and center. Here’s my top 5, in no particular order:

The City of Bones – Cassandra Clare. This series is incredibly popular – and for good reason. The movie (apart from one or two questionable casting choices) looks perfect and I can’t wait to see the Shadowhunter world brought to life. Starring Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell-Bower, here’s the official trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHlwRsl2uFk

The Fault in Our Stars – John Green. I, along with pretty much everyone who has read this book, am completely in love with this story. Warning: this film will be weepy. Although there’s no trailer out to date, we do know that it will star Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace and Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters.

Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins. The second instalment of the Hunger Games trilogy looks to be as good – if not better than – the first, and words cannot describe my excitement. Here’s the teaser trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyPnQw_Lqds

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (based on the books by Cressida Cowell). I admit to not having read these books (I plan to, though!), but the first movie was incredible – I can’t wait for the next!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (based on the novel by J R R Tolkein) Okay, which Lord of the Rings fan is not stupidly excited about this? Watch the teaser trailer and I will say no more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnaojlfdUbs